Monday, July 30, 2007

Zhanzhanit- meaning extra spicy in marathi is an exclusive word used for chilli preparations , mostly the ones that are so hot that it makes one cry while eating. :D Thecha is a chutney prepared from green chillies for which this adjective suits perfectly! Thecha is called so due to its process of preparation. Deep roasted green chillies and garlic are pounded (called "thechana" in marathi) to make this chutney.. This goes for Nupur's "Z of Indian Vegetables" and "JFI for August-Chillies" hosted by Nandita!

Thecha

Preparation Time:

15 mins

What you need:

10-12 Green chillies5-6 cloves of Garlic2 tbsp roasted PeanutsSaltOil

How to proceed:

1) Remove the heads of chillies.2) In a skillet, take 1/2 tsp Oil, and add chillies and garlic to it3) Roast them uniformly on all sides till you see brown black spots over them4) When done, pound these alongwith peanuts and salt as required using a mortar pestle (mixie will do, but mortar pestle works best)5) Add a bit of oil while serving, and some salt(this will reduce the spiciness a bit).6) Serve with bhakris!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Feels so nice to get back to blogging after a break.. Had been to Austria and Germany for 10 days.. Was real fun to experience the adventure of camping :D Unplanned trips are great fun sometimes. ;) Saw "The Simpsons Movie" first day evening show as well.. a good way to get down your frustration level if your laptop is not working when you really need it after a long break!

Getting back to the important thing- food.. "Ekadashi.. duppat khashi" - a saying in Marathi meaning "eating double on day of the ekadashi fast".. So true... Yesterday was "Ashadi Ekadashi"- a big fast for Maharashtrians according to Hindu Calendar.. I call it big fast bcoz its full day upwaas, and ends the other day with proper full meal! When I am the only one fasting at home, its usually fruits and juices for me.. Also eating fasting food(sabudana khichadi, varyache tandul, potato etc.) go against the actual motives of fasting.. But I decided to please myself and made yummy sheera/halwa using sweet potato yesterday.. a typical maharashtrian dessert called Ratalyacha Sheera, it becomes Yam Halwa when it goes for Nupur's "Y of Indian Vegetables" :)

Friday, July 13, 2007

Patiala Lassi is a rich Punjabi drink prepared from Yoghurt. It probably gets its name from the place where it came from originally, Patiala, a district in Punjab. It is usually served in long steel glasses. This lassi(like others) is a filler, as its difficult to finish a glassful even after a light meal. Weight watchers.. Beware.. This is absolutely not recommended for you guys.. This is just for carefree people like me :) This Xtra rich Yoghurt Drink makes its way to Nupur’s “X of Indian Vegetables” and Richa’s "RCI Punjabi Cuisine"!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Jai and Bee have chosen a lovely fruit for this month’s AFAM-Watermelon. Due to its high water content (95%), summers are incomplete without watermelons…Atleast for me :) I can have watermelon for breakfast, lunch as well as for dinner in summers… I am one person who doesn’t drink much water regularly (just 2-3 glasses), but eat loads of watermelon n cucumbers in summer.. That’s the reason I can bear the summers. :D I was planning for another watermelon drink or snack, but then thought of some way which would be pleasant and inviting.. Here are lovely watermelon popsicles for AFAM Watermelon!

1) Deseed watermelon and run through blender to make juice2) Mix sugar and water. Heat for 2-3 mins3) Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients to it4) Add to kulfi moulds/ ice trays and make popsicles of desired shape n size5) Freeze for 3-4 hrs!

* Addition of chaat masala gives it a tangy flavour.. Reminded me of the “barf ka gola” sold in India :)

I am an avid fan of chaat items(do i need to say that again???) and miss them here in Belgium. Although I try to prepare some chaat items at home, the taste of the ones served at roadside chaat corners in India is ohh so yummy!!! :) When I settled down here, I decided to try n cook as many chaats n snacks as possible at home so that I do not sacrifice my love for these foods :) If I would have not tried, I would have been extinct by now :D

Dahi Wadas are fried dumplings prepared using Urad Dal(Split Black Gram Dal) and served with loads of dahi (Yoghurt). Dahi wadas are my top favourite in chaat items and I am glad to say that my dahi wadas turn out equally good as the ones served in restaurants! :) Its a easy to prepare (with some preparatins before time) and a quick n appetising Punjabi snack which goes for RCI Punjabi Cuisine!

1) Wash and soak Urad Dal overnight.2) Grind into smooth batter and add cumin powder, sodium bicarb and salt to taste, set aside for 10 mins3) Beat the yoghurt and divide it in two portions. Leave one portion as is(normal yogurt) and add sugar to other portion to make sweet yoghurt4) Heat oil in a pan, take handful of batter and slide into hot oil5) Deep fry the vada on medium heat till crispy and golden brown6) Drain excess oil and soak the vada in water for 10 mins7) Press each vada to drain off excess water and soak in normal yoghurt for 10 mins8) Put the soaked vadas in serving dish and cover with 2-3 tbsp of sweet yogurt9) Garnish with roasted cumin seeds, red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt and tamarind sauce (optionally Corriander)

*Add tamarind pulp to water and mix sugar/jaggery to make sweet tamarind sauce

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

What do you do when you got to finish off a packet of frozen peas lying in the freezer before leaving for a vacation? Matar(Peas) Paratha for RCI Punjabi Cuisine :) Its "the" best thing that can happen with peas! :) My display of love for Parathas continues ;) Similar to other parathas, this paratha can be served with curds, raitas or pickles! I served matar paratha with boondi raita.

For the cover: 1) Mix all ingredients and knead into soft dough2) Keep aside for 15-20 mins

For the filling:1) Mince green chillies and ginger and keep aside2) Mince peas3) Heat 2-3 tbsp oil and add ginger chilli paste to it4) Add minced peas and remaining ingredients5) Cook for 12-15 mins until the mixture seems dry and then set aside to cool for 1-2 hrs

Putting it all together:1) Divide the dough and filling in equal parts.2) Roll each ball of dough to diameter of approx 4 inches3) Put the stuffing/filling in the middle and get the ends of dough together and close so that the filling does not come out4) Roll the parathas to size 7-8 inch in diameter using wheat flour5) Roast on hot girdle on both sides till brown using butter/ghee/oil6) Serve hot wit raitas, yoghurt or pickles!

Monday, July 9, 2007

A life time opportunity is what I would call it :) Watching the world's best known cycling race.. The "Tour de France".. The 3 week long race started in London on 7th July as completed the first stage yesterday. Today the 2nd stage in Dunkirk and ended in my own city "Gent", and the best thing- the end point just 300 meters from my apartment :D Though the streets seemed less crowded today, we had to be sure we left pretty early to catch a good place to get the best view.. The end point was so crowded that we preferred going a little ahead... Though I didnt know any cyclists (except David Miller), I just didnt want to miss an opportunity to see the race.. There were two Belgian cyclists whom we had to cheer ;) Sharing some snaps of the lovely experience...

Click on the pics to view high resolution

The teams had their buses in Gent a long time before the race ended.. This is the first thing we came across after we left our appartment.. At about 3:30 pm

Two hours before the end.. Seems no one wanted to miss anything so everyone has left early :)

Now this is height of enthusiasm.. Atleast spare the signals.. There's still a lot time from them to arrive!! :) Center of attraction ;) There was not one high place left for me ;)

Some carnivals to entertain the crowd till the real entertainment comes in...

The scene an hour before.. I envy the guys standing on the terrace of their appartmets!

Police patrolling ...

Why to miss a golden opportunity to advertise your products? ;)

The aerial cameras..

Now this is real money making business... Selling soveniers for "oh-my-god" prices!

Above to arrive.. everyone is on thier tows.. some on other's shoulders ;)

Did not get to click the snaps of the first batch of cyclists as I just didnt want to miss "the" moment by clicking snaps.. Soon got a good place and some good snaps as well.. here they go...Here come the local favourites.. the Belgian participants!

Some others follow as well...

Everyone being cheered.. be it in batches or all alone.. A warm welcome n lotsa cheer is an important factor for them to keep going!

The best part.. the cyclists, though competitors, seemed so friendly n comfortable with each other.. chatting along n cheering up each other as they made it to the finish...

God.. how can they seem so fresh after cycling so much!! :)

The cyclist on the extreme left (in yellow jersey) is "Fabian Cancellara", who's leading currently (combining timings for last 3 days).. Seems he had a tough time today after falling in the crash.. Details a bit later..

Some more cyclists...

And more...

And finally the last one! :)

The support system makes thier way as well :D

I suppose this was much needed today.. There was a crash just 3 km from the end point in which nearly 170 cyclists suffered.. Hence the second batch and the others arrived much later than the first...

Time to go towards the finish...

Had a tough time making way back home...

The media.. saw some real editing being done in these huge buses n caravans..

Now that I have learnt to prepare Paneer at home (and am really so glad about it :) ), here’s one of my favourite Paneer dish for RCI Punjabi Cuisine- Palak Paneer. An amazing combination of nutritious Palak and rich Paneer… As a child, I hated Palak.. Palak was just dear when watching "Popeye the sailor man" :D But once I started eating Palak Paneer, I suddenly started finding it good.. Mom used to make this often coz there are very few other leafy vegetables that I eat.. Sometimes wen Paneer was unavailable, she replaced it with boiled aalo(potatoes) to make Aalo Palak.. This is probably the best way to enjoy the iron rich Palak and non- fat cheese.. Enjoy my mom’s recipe of Palak Paneer..

1) Wash and chop Palak coarsely2) Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic and green chillies3) Saute for a min and add chopped palak4) Add ½ cup Water and cook till the Palak turns soft. When done, keep aside5) Dice the paneer in 1 inch cubes6) Heat 2 tbsp Oil in another pan and add Paneer cubes to it7) Shallow fry them for a minute till they turn golden brown.8) Set them aside and add cumin seeds to remaining oil9) Now add onion and cook till it turns transparent.10) Add tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy11) When done, turn off heat and set it aside12) Blend both these mixtures (cooked palak, onion tomato) to pastes, mix them and keep aside.13) Cook this mixture for 5-10 mins and add salt and sugar as required14) Add fried Paneer cubes and cook covered for another 5 mins15) Serve hot with rotis or parathas

* The above ingredients make thick Palak Paneer.. Add more water at step (13) if you wish to make the gravy thin.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Last week, Coffee announced the theme “Preserve it” for MBP July, and I was so glad about it.. I had just prepared something just fitting for the theme.. “No oil lemon pickle” using this recipe from Manisha. Actually I should thank Nupur’s post which leads me to the original recipe! The pickle is 6 days old now and is resting on my window sill for Sun God to shower His blessings on it ;) I loved the lovely pictorial step by step method by Manisha, used the same ingredients and proportions used by her, but changed some timelines while adding the ingredients.. Can update more on the taste as soon as its ripe.. I think It’ll take a month or so as the sun is not so hot regularly here.. But the pickle tastes yummy when I lick the fork after I mix it every morning! :)

How to proceed:1) Take a glass jar (approx for 1 kg) and wash,clean and dry it totally2) Wash and pat dry the lemons3) Cut each lemon in 12-15 small pieces4) Add these pieces to the glass jar and retain the lemon jucie that drips while cutting5) When all pieces are added to the jar, shake the jar a well to settle down the pieces.6) Now add salt and shake well7) Add juice of one lemon and that juice while cutting lemons n mix well8) Now close the jar and leave aside. Shake it on the second day using a dry spoon.9) On day 3, add chilli powder, turmeric and sugar to the jar10) Heat a pan, add methi seeds, mustard seeds and hing and saute till the methi seeds turn brown.11) Grind these to a fine powder and add this powder to the pickle jar12) Now use a dry sppon to mix the contents in the jar13) When done, place the jar in a place where there is ample sun during day time14) Shake the contents using a dry spoon every day until the pickle becomes ripe. This procedure might take a month or two depending on peel thickness of the lemons that are used.15) These pickles can be stored for months, taken care that it does not come in contact with water.Here's my first ever stock of home made lemon pickle proudly standing in the sun, awaiting to please me! ;)

Can there be a better way to eat watermelon on a Sunday afternoon after returning from a 5 hour long shopping streak on a rather hot day? Chilled watermelon escorted out of the fridge(deseed if you have patience), chopped into chunks of desired shape and add a bit of chaat masala, black pepper powder and black salt over it.. Aaahh… heaven! :)

Saturday, July 7, 2007

The simplest stir fry Punjabi sabji for RCI Punjabi Cuisine- Aalo Gobhi.. The other stir-fry Punjabi sabjis like aalo matar, aalo simla, gobhi matar, bhindi aalo etc. can be prepared on the same lines as this recipe! Aalo Gobhi is a simple sabji of potatoes and cauliflower. So simple that my husband loving cooks it for me on weekends :) Ready to be served in 15 mins and goes well with flat bread and rotis!

1) Chop Cauliflower and potatoes in medium sized pieces2) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida3) When mustard seeds start spluttering, add all the spices and mix well4) Now add chopped aalo and gobi and mix well5) Cover and cook. Do not add water, let the vegetables cook in their own water6) Stir at intervals till the potatoes are cooked and become soft (not mushy)7) Add salt, mix well and turn off heat8) (Optional) Add a dash of Lemon and serve hot with rotis

Making sabjis with Paneer was not so common at my place until last month. That's when I was cribbing about how rarely we find Paneer here at the Indian stores. She quickly replied that she preferred making it at home and the cook in me cursed me when I got to know the oh-so-easy procedure of making Paneer at home! I tried it out the next day and it turned out perfectly smooth and delicious.. I thought of sharing this with you guys so that you can make some lovely Paneer dishes for me :D

I dont think I need to talk more about this lovely no-fat cheese from India- Paneer, also known as cottage Cheese. I realised that its totally harmless when I prepared it at home.. And now since I have Paneer at hand, except some Paneer dishes next week from me for RCI Punjabi Cuisine! :)

Paneer

Preparation time:

3.5-4 hrs

Makes:

~400 gm Paneer

What you need:

1 liter full fat MilkJuice of 1 Lemon

How to proceed:

1) Place milk in a pan and bring to boil2) Keep stiring at intervals so that it does not stick to the pan3) When milk starts boiling, add juice of 1 lemon to it4) Heat for another 5-10 mins5) You'll see a separate yellowish layer of water above6) Take off the heat and seive using a strainer to remove the water7) Hold under cold water for a min and then tie in a thin cloth8) Hang it/Place it under weight for few hours till all water drains out9) Cut in cubes and use it for your favourite Punjabi dishes!

* Strain the lemon juice before hand. Do not squeze it directly over the milk. This prevents the lemon particles from getting into paneer and paneer retains the pure white color.

* I prefer hanging the paneer for some time and then pressing it between my cutting board and my marble rolling platform (polpat/chakla). This makes the panner flat and becomes easier to store it as well as easy for making cubes!

Friday, July 6, 2007

Summer time in India is time for ladies to prepare their year long stock of pickles and walawan.. Walawan is the category of things made which need to be sun dried. I remember mom making potato wafers, different papads and kurdais during summer time.. Our job as kids used to be to sit on the terrace to keep a watch on the birds that try feasting on these delicacies when they are left for drying :D Little did mom realise that we used to be the real birds feasting on them :) Especially the kurdais made from wheat flour coz they tasted awesome when half dry.. Mom used to have different prepataion for fasting food and for normal days as wells! Fasting preparations usually consisted of potato wafers, potato kees, sabudana papad and subudana babata kurdai/chakli.. Wafers used to be my favourite and I decided to try some last week as I had a bag of potatoes lying around. So here's one of my favourite fasting food- Potato Wafers- for "W of Indian Vegetables." I am glad I made these last week as I really enjoyed eating these yesterday during my Thursday fast :) Thats the advantage of fasting.. lots of yummy foods :D

Making Potato wafers is a bit lengthy process.. But once well prepared and dried, these can be stored for about year! So its just worth the efforts taken. Instead of deep frying in oil (the traditional way), these can be sprayed and baked in microwave as well! Take care while drying them.. If they are stored without proper drying, they can be spoilt by fungus.. So better check that the weather is gonna be sunny for the next 5-6 days before taking up this task ;)

1) Peel potatoes and make chips using the wavy side of mandoline, or the plain one if you like it plain.. My opinion-the wavy ones look n feel good :D2) Boil these in water with 1-2 tsp Oil for 4-5 mins3) Now drain off water and hold the chips under cold water4) Place the chips separately on a plastic sheet and dry in sunn for 4-5 days, flipping sides twice a day5) When they are totally dry, store in an air tight container6) Deep fry in oil, drain excess oil on kitchen towels and sprinkle with red chilli powder and salt or eat plain

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Today I prepared Mango Mastani specially for my best friend Shill.. Its her "quarterly engagement anniversary" today.. Other than Gujju n mexican food, she n her wud be better half love milkshakes.. Shill wanted me to prepare something for her and I cudnt find any other day better than this [Now am free to forget other important days;)].. So here's wishing Shill n Jiju a happy engagement anniversary with one of Shill's favourite Mango Mastani! I know there's nothing like quartely annivs and that too for engagements.. but we can celebrate events anytime we want to by just creating some! :) This day (5th July) has a lot importance in my life.. I joined my first job on this day and two years later resigned on the same day.. Also the date(5th) is pretty important and lucky for me... Two of my best friend's (Shill n Vish) bday falls on this date, I got married on this date, my friend got engagaed on this date etc etc...

Anyways getting back to the post.. Anybody from Pune will surely talk about one of the most famous dessert here- Mastani. Although its nothing very special than milk shake topped with Ice-cream, its historic name and its unforgettable taste and the fact that it gives you an extremely full feeling makes it even more memorable. Mastani was believed to be a very beautiful woman and mistress of the great maratha warrior, Bajirao Peshwa. She was believed to be so fair that when she ate a pan, one could see it clearly moving down her thought... Now now now..This is height of exagerration :D Read more about Mastani here.

Mastani in Pune is mostly associated with Kondhalkar's and Sujata. Kondhalkar opposite Saavan on Kumthekar road (parallel to Laxmi Road-the most famous shopping road for ladies in Pune) is probably the oldest of mastani shops in Pune. Sujata Mastani (acc to my knowledge) are their cousins who moved out to start their own chain of Sujata Mastani House in Pune.. I love both the places and Kondhalkar's used to be a must visit while shopping on Laxmi Road. A glass full of Mastani makes a good lunch. Better have it before shopping to shred off the extra calories! ;)

Mango Mastani is thick Mango milk shake topped with Mango Ice-cream. Other Mastanis include Orange Mastani, Pineapple Mastani, Rose Mastani, Custard Apple Mastani, Pista Mastani, Badam Mastani, Khus Mastani etc. I have tried almost each of them but Mango Mastani is my favourite. None of the others can match its taste. Another famous joint was Kasturi Mastani on Karve road since it was near to our college.. We friends visited this quite a few times for the Mango Mastani here.. The Bun Wada (dont remember if this is what exactly its called) of Kasturi Mastani is a must must must eat once.. You'll always want more n more of it.. Turning into too much of marketing :D Lets get back to my dear Mango Mastani!

This will be my entry for Meeta's Monthly Mingle- Scream for Icecream. I made Mango Ice-cream as well at home.. but since this was my first try, it was all trial and error with the measurements. The ice-cream turned out really soft n yummy. So will prepare another batch of Mango Ice-cream in a day or two (asa I get another Mango pulp can) and post the Mango Ice-cream recipe for you guys.. Till then enjoy this dessert in the hot summer.. I bet you'll love it!

1) Mix mango pulp, sugar and milk in belnder to make mango milk shake2) Defreeze it for 15-20 mins3) Now again blend it well. This will make the milk shake thick!4) Serve in a large glass topped with a big scoop of Mango Ice-cream!

* I prefer using less Sugar as the pulp is already sweet. Also the ice cream being sweet, the milk shake being a bit less sweet is perfectly allowed! :)

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Rajma with rice is a well known combi meal for Punjabis.. Rajma is a gravy prepared from Red Kidney beans and this hot gravy served with rice has a heavenly taste :) This is one of the easiest and quickest meals for Punjabis. Punjabis love rice just the way I do ;) I prepared this yesterday for dinner and decided to post it today for RCI Punjabi Cuisine!

1) If you do not have canned Rajma, soak Rajma overnight and then boil it in cooker for 3 whistles with some salt n cooking soda.2) Do not drain off the water in which rajma is soaked (even the canned content)3) Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and onions4) Saute onions till they become transperant5) Add puried tomatoes and cook till mixture turns mushy and it starts leaving sides of the pan6) Now add all spices and mix well for a minute7) Add rajma alongwith water in which it is soaked8) Add another cup or two of water (acoording to desired consistency)9) Add oil as required10) Cook for 10-12 mins, garnish with corriander11) Serve hot with rice and papads!